After finishing his warm-up pitches, Brett stood atop the mound and let out a deep breath. He had been a little surprised that Coach Wyatt had chosen him to start the very first game of the tournament, but he was by no means going to reject this opportunity.
He subconsciously sent a glance to Ken in the right outfield before turning his attention back to the batters box.
'As long as I get some playing time, I don't care.' He stated in his heart.
After all, if they kept winning, even more eyes would be on their team. Disregarding Ken who was a freak of nature and could pitch over 100mph while still hitting like a truck—he wasn't someone to be overlooked.
With this sort of mindset, he nodded at Steve, accepting the lead.
'A slider for the first pitch? This guy is always so bold…' He thought.
Brett entered his wind up, expertly striding forward and throwing a perfectly controlled slider towards the plate. Being one of his best pitches, he had practiced it thousands of times.
WHOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
The tremendous spin on the ball caused it to veer off to the outside, escaping the reach of the opponents bat.
"Nice pitch!" Steve called out, sending the ball back.
Feeling his confidence rise, Brett caught the ball and took his position on the mound once more. He felt good and his arm felt light, a good sign that he was in for a great performance.
After another couple of accurate pitches, the first batter for ENST (Exposure National Scout Team) was sent back to the bench after striking out.
Brett pumped his fist, feeling a surge of adrenaline. Striking out a lead-off hitter was always a good confidence booster, particularly in games of this level.
Facing the new batter, Steve asked for a fastball down low. Nodding his head, Brett sent it exactly where he'd asked, putting some heat behind it.
WHOOOSH
CLICK
The ball was mis-hit, striking the underside of the bat thanks to the placement of the pitch. It kicked into the dirt and ran along the ground towards the middle of first and second base.
In a flash, Brett ran towards first base.
"Nicolas!"
The first baseman Nicolas collected the ball with ease, scooping it up and turning his body in mid-air. The throw was fast and accurate, landing into the open glove of Brett who managed to place his foot on first base before the runner.
"Out!"
It was an easy call, leading to the second out of the innings.
"Nice!"
The easy outs filled the Gladiators with some confidence. Ken on the other hand let out a sigh. There was a reason why he didn't like playing in the outfield, and that was purely because… it was boring.
Letting out a sigh, he walked back to his position, trying to hide the boredom from his expression.
'I want to pitch…'
Unfortunately, he was stuck out here. And if Brett continued to pitch well, it was possible that he might not even get to pitch this game.
As the third batter came up to the plate, Ken marveled at just how big the guy was. He made the Lopez twins that he'd met from Cuba, look like children.
'Is that guy in the right sport?' Ken mused. It seemed like the guy would be a better fit to play football as an offensive lineman.
At a glance, it was obvious that the guy had some power behind him. Subconsciously, Ken moved backwards a few yards, feeling that he was going to hit.
Steve also seemed to be wary of the big guy. If Ken thought he was large from all the way in the outfield, then Steve who was up close and personal, really understood just how big he was.
"Hit it Solly!"
"Smash it out of the park!"
The cheers of a few spectators entered Steve's ears. He moved his gaze to the origin of the sound and his eyes widened as large as saucers.
'So huge!'
There were two big guys who looked quite similar to the teen in front of him. It was clear that they were older, judging by the facial hair on their faces.
Steve gulped, turning back to Brett on the mound. Thankfully, the guy still seemed to be feeling confident, not intimidated by the large guy in the batters box.
'Let's start out with a slider. We can't afford to give him anything easy.' He thought, making the call.
Brett nodded, quickly getting into position. They just needed one more out and that would be the end of the first inning.
He entered his fluid pitching motion, sending his trademark slider down the lane.
Steve flinched, feeling a sense of danger right beside him. At first it was the sound of the displaced air, roaring into his eardrums. But right after, he saw a black blur enter his vision for the briefest of moments.
WHOOOOOOSH
THWACK!
An almighty crack was heard as the impact of the ball on the wooden bat resounded through the field. It didn't take long for the spectators to cheer out with glee as the ball flew in the air towards the right outfield.
Ken's eyes locked onto the ball, his mind already calculating. Since he'd already retreated towards the fence, he could focus on figuring out where the ball would land.
'It's going over.' He determined pretty quickly, turning his gaze towards the back fence.
Since the ball was hit so high, Ken had plenty of time to run some simulations in his mind. He had robbed a home run before, twice in fact, as part of his U18 World Cup mission.
This experience seemed to help his decision making in that moment. He quickly turned his head and began to run towards the fence, glancing at the ball briefly.
'It's now or never…'
He felt that he had the timing, down, so now he just needed to execute according to the plan.